After Chu Bai finished speaking, the car was enveloped in a moment of silence.

Nian Keyi was flipping through his light brain, while Chu Bai’s gaze turned to the car window.

Outside the window, tall buildings loomed in the sky, and at the grand entrance of a mall, hover cars lined up to pick up guests avoiding the rain. Jewelry advertisements played above, flickering in the rain, with a beautiful woman’s face half-hidden in shadow, the necklace and ring she wore glinting luxuriously.

Chu Bai suddenly remembered the last question from the inquiry officer. In such situations, every word carried deep meaning.

He thought about it and opened his light brain to search, unexpectedly coming across a familiar shadow on a young, pretty face.

Chu Bai silently fell into thought.

The fourth person he recognized after Chu Lan and the others appeared.

Nian Keyi was browsing the marriage agreement, but in reality, he was sneaking glances at Chu Bai, who had his eyelashes lowered, and then sneaking another glance.

How could he have guessed that the dignified, mature, and composed Professor Chu grew up in a welfare institution on a poverty-stricken star? The records showed he was from k481 star, where people only had numbers, not names, indicating a poverty-stricken star.

He silently frowned, regretting his quick mouth for the first time.

Then he saw Chu Bai fall silent, lower his eyes, and become motionless… Oh no, could it be that his background is a sensitive topic for Professor Chu, like a reverse scale or something…

As his fingers continued to swipe, the terms about warships and mechas came into view, “Chong Xia Chief Technician Custom Model z2-c9.”

Looking closely, there really was nothing between z2, no other symbols, meaning it was a custom model, forever unique.

Let’s put it this way, every warship crafted by the Chong Xia Chief Technician had immeasurable market value, and now it belonged solely to him!

Nian Keyi internally exclaimed “Whoa,” and then looked at Professor Chu, feeling a strange sense of guilt.

Chu Bai closed his light brain, trying hard to think of “Lan An,” the only person with a different name. He remembered the other was called Bai Chengxing, and calculating the age, he should be twenty now.

The Omega beside him was also twenty.

There was a gaze he couldn’t ignore, so Chu Bai turned his head and met his guilty eyes, raising an eyebrow slightly.

He imagined something.

Nian Keyi cleared his throat: “…Though it sounds a bit annoying, my family is happy and loved, my dads are great at being dads. In ancient terms, you’re like half a son to them, you can have dads too.”

Chu Bai only felt he was truly annoying, and said calmly, “I’m almost thirty.”

Nian Keyi: “Uh-huh, I know.”

“So having parents doesn’t matter, I’ve long passed the age of needing them,” Chu Bai said, his expression and tone equally calm.

“…Oh.” Nian Keyi nodded, seeing that Chu Bai really didn’t mind, and asked, “So can I talk to you about this?”

Chu Bai nodded: “You can bring it up normally, just not like earlier.”

Like “You don’t have a dad” or something.

“Oh, I do have that much sense,” Nian Keyi said, not sounding too confident.

Chu Bai adjusted his glasses, noncommittal.

Twenty-year-old guys are always full of energy and can’t stay quiet. After a moment of silence, Nian Keyi asked again, “Chu Bai, is there really a z2-c9? Have you seen it?”

Chu Bai had seen the blueprints and models but hadn’t seen the real thing. He remained expressionless: “Yes, haven’t seen it.”

“Hiss—it’s the z2-c9.” Nian Keyi was itching with excitement, wishing he could reach Ran Chang immediately.

“You’ll see it soon,” Chu Bai said, watching the young man seemingly trying to bore a hole through the agreement, and decided to close his eyes for a rest, his long lashes casting a small shadow.

He understood Nian Keyi’s excitement but couldn’t empathize.

The z2 was originally designed by him after watching an Omega’s battlefield operation video, tailored specifically for him. Chu Bai had a talent for warship manufacturing, so it wasn’t difficult for him, just within his capabilities.

Naturally, the Omega he gifted it to deserved the best.

Nian Keyi was still chattering beside him, “Chu always so generous to his good brothers, huh.”

He meant Chu Lan.

Chu Bai lazily replied with his eyes closed, “Not Chu Lan, the Chief Technician is generous.”

Nian Keyi cheerfully grabbed his hand, holding it against his cheek, “Who cares who it is, it’s from you, you’re the most generous!”

The flamboyant young master acted like a sycophant, but it didn’t seem obsequious, instead making people want to indulge him. The love he once had became tangible again.

Chu Bai half-opened his eyes, slightly surprised that a warship could win hearts so easily. He thought for a moment, then took out the access key and handed it to him: “This is for you.”

Nian Keyi’s eyes lit up, accepting it with both hands, and he blew a kiss in the air, “Thank you, my Alpha!”

Marriage is great!

Chu Bai squinted slightly, feeling pleased that the gift he gave was cherished.

He reached out, intending to scratch Nian Keyi’s chin, but paused, his long fingers detouring to gently pat his head.

The texture was excellent; Nian Keyi’s hair was surprisingly soft.

Nian Keyi, in his excitement, let him pat for a moment, but after a few seconds, with his hand still on his head, he slapped it away, “Enough.”

Chu Bai’s hand itched, wanting to flick his forehead.

An hour later, at Ran Chang.

The center of district A was experiencing a rainy afternoon, while here it was evening, the desert baked by the blazing sun gradually cooling down.

Numerous shielding devices separated countless areas, and when flying over the route, one couldn’t see the mechas and warships soaring, only the rolling yellow sand advancing menacingly.

The city of Ran Chang was no different from buildings elsewhere, even more prosperous with the only desert of Luo Star behind it, the sunset reflecting, turning into the early lights of thousands of homes.

Chu Bai had heard of Ran Chang before, never been there, but when he opened his eyes in the hover car and saw the cityscape, it suddenly overlapped with the scene in his memory.

It was a province where he had worked for a month or two, once taken by colleagues to a mountain to watch a sunset and night view. Strictly speaking, it wasn’t a familiar place to him, but now it seemed like his homeland.

Imaginary and real, he never doubted the reality he was in; life was but a dream.

Only occasionally, when two timelines overlapped, he would rationally drift away, feeling a bit dazed.

Not only the scenery before him but also the familiar young man.

The graduate student and his girlfriend were originally the connection points between timelines, and Chu Lan was his only friend, acting as the domineering president before he came, and being one for him after he arrived.

Chu Bai could adapt well to all of it.

But Bai Chengxing, or Lan An, was just a child he had taken care of for a while when he first accumulated wealth. He had tried to find him in his original world later but couldn’t.

From the inquiry officer’s tone, it seemed that his counterpart in this world had also had a fleeting encounter with Lan An.

Memories rolled in Chu Bai’s mind, red, black, white, and he frowned unpleasantly.

The next second, the weight on his shoulder pulled him back to reality, and the emotions in Chu Bai’s eyes instantly retracted. He paused for a moment, turning his face slightly, and found a fluffy head leaning against him.

Nian Keyi, with his eyes closed, looked very well-behaved when asleep, subconsciously snuggling closer.

Chu Bai smelled the pheromone from the Omega’s relaxed gland, a winter snow fruitwood bonfire scent. He blinked, reaching out to pinch the upturned nose in front of him.

The hover car was two minutes from the destination; it was time to wake up.

“…Don’t want to!” The Omega murmured with his eyes closed, but his subconscious act of snuggling into his embrace was a bit coquettish, an illusion of a heat cycle.

He was dreaming.

Chu Bai realized this, a mischievous chuckle escaping his lips. He pinched his nose harder to cut off his breath, then released it before he woke up, closing his eyes, his breathing slowing to a gentle rhythm.

Nian Keyi didn’t fall for it. As soon as his dark eyes opened, the sleepiness hadn’t completely faded, and he immediately pinched back, confidently saying, “You pinched my nose!”

A miscalculation, couldn’t mess with Nian Tuan, mustn’t break character.

Chu Bai quickly made a decision, opening his eyes filled with a smile, his fingers resting on his waist, gently saying, “We’re here.”

Nian Keyi paused, looking past his shoulder out the car window, rubbing his slightly sore nose, “But you can’t pinch me!”

He quickly got his revenge, then brightened up, “I’m changing to meet my z2.”

Chu Bai watched him take off his jacket, resting his face on his hand, asking, “How else would I wake you up without pinching your nose?”

Nian Keyi made a loud “mua” sound, “Like this, isn’t that how they do it on TV?”

Feeling playful, he exaggeratedly pouted at Chu Bai while taking off his clothes.

Seeing him about to act up again, Chu Bai stretched his long legs, intending to wait outside.

Just as Nian Keyi cheerfully leaned over to grab his change of clothes, his outstretched leg got caught by the long leg, causing him to stumble and fall.

Chu Bai couldn’t move, quickly catching his waist with his hand.

The unexpected happened in an instant, the space between the seats too small, Nian Keyi had no room to maneuver, and Chu Bai just happened to reach out and catch him.

Unexpectedly, Nian Keyi ended up sprawled on Chu Bai, awkwardly propped on his thigh, their lips almost touching.

Their eyes met, breaths audible, any slight movement would lead to a kiss.

Chu Bai’s gaze swept over his lips.

Nian Keyi’s eyes widened, capturing many details at once, seeing Chu Bai’s gaze lower, a shiver running through his mind, instinctively pursing his lips, releasing them, slightly parted.

Chu Bai saw this, thinking it was karma for acting up, a soft laugh escaping his lips. He released him, saying, “We’re here, I’ll wait for you outside.”

Nian Keyi’s gaze was dazed; he had been ready for a kiss.

Chu Bai’s departing chuckle echoed in his ears, amplified.

He frowned.

Was it mockery? Was it mockery?